Brake platform



Patented Jan. 19, 1943 UNITED BRAKE PLATFORM Herbert E. Bartsch, Chicago, 111., assignor to Universal Railway Devices Company, a corporation of Delaware Application July 29, 1940, Serial No. 348,104

(Cl. 10S-425) Claims.

This invention relates to railway cars and more particularly to platforms on which the brakeman stands while applying the brakes.

The principal objects of the invention are the provision of a new and improved platform provided with a tread portion constructed in such manner that the following advantages are obtained:

It' will not be necessary to provide the usual rectangular frame for supporting the tread; the tread may be reticulated with the reticulations of such dimensions that the tread will be selfcleaning; the tread may be made from long lengths or rather extended widths of the material by cutting it in the required lengths; that the severed ends may be inexpensively protected and reinforced at a small expense; and, the attaching plates may be permanently affixed to the platform with concealed or unobstructive attaching means.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a simple platform having an inexpensive but simple and efficient tread that is light and rigid and may be easily applied with a minimum of' labor and expense.

Other and further objects and advantages of the invention will appear from the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a portion of a railway car showing the invention in position thereon, Vwith parts broken away and parts in section;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the brake platform shown on an enlarged scale from that of Fig. l;

Fig. 3 is an edge view of the construction shown in Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a View similar to Fig. 2 but showing a modified form of construction;

Fig. 5 is an edge view thereof;

Fig. 6 is a side elevation of a different type of railway car showing the invention in position thereon, with parts broken away and parts in section;

Fig. 7 is a top plan View of a modified form of the brake platform shown on a smaller scale from that shown in Fig. 4;

Fig. 8 is an end View thereof;

Fig. 9 is a top plan view of a further modified form of a platform; and

Fig. 10 is an end view thereof.

It is common practice in the construction of railway cars, especially boxcars, to mount the brake wheel on the end of the car to rotate about a horizontal axis. This arrangement necessitates a platform beneath the wheel on which the brakeman stands in manually applying the brakes. These platforms are attached to the eX- terior of the car and hence are exposed to the weather.

In the construction of such platforms for the cars, it is desirable that the tread portion be so constructed that snow, mud and the like shall not accumulate on the upper surface thereof and form a slippery surface on which the brakeman must stand while applying or releasing the brakes. Many accidents have occurred as a result of such accumulation.

The present invention seeks to provide a platform on which snow, mud and other foreign matter will not accumulate but will fall through the openings formed by the reticulations thereby avoiding such an objectionable slippery surface. Furthermore, the top surfaces of the upper connecting portions and webs are so constructed that one of the upper edges of each will be uppermost to form a sharp edge to bite into the shoe soles of the brakeman thereby forming a rough, sharp surface for preventing slipping.

Referring now to the drawings, the reference character ID designates a railway car having a corrugated end portion II as is common in such constructions. Attached to the corrugations I2 of the car end are a plurality of brackets I3. Each bracket has its upper portion rigidly connected as at I4 to a corrugation I I and its lower portion connected to a llower corrugation I2. The intermediate portion of the bracket I3 extends horizontally as shown at I3a for constituting a support for the brake platform I5 as shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings. The lower portion of the bracket I3 constitutes a brace as shown at I3b. Preferably, though not necessarily, the bracket I3 is made from a single length of metal. The horizontal portion I3a is provided with openings for the reception of bolts II by means of which the brake platform I5 is secured in position.

The form of the construction shown in Fig. 2 necessitates the use of only two brackets for supporting the same in position on the car end. These platforms are adapted to be used in connection with the manually operated brake mechanism having the conventional brake wheel that rotates about a horizontal axis. Since the details of the brake wheel and brake operating mechanism constitute no part of the present invention, it is not thought necessary to further illustrate or describe the same.

Referring now to Figs. 2 and 3, the brake platform l5 comprises a reticulated body portion I6, end protector members or end reinforcing bars I8 and I9 and an annular member 2| which is secured in an annular opening provided in the tread portion of the platform. The tread portion of the platform is reticulated and is made by a cutting and expanding operation as is usual in such constructions. This tread portion cornprises the uncut or web portions 22 connected together by strands 23. The strands 23 form diamonds or lozenge shaped openings 24 through which dirt, mud, snow, and the like, escape from the upper surface of the tread portion while the same is in use. These openings are of such size that the heels of the shoes of the brakeman will not enter the same but are large enough to prevent accumulation of snow and the like on the surface of the platform. Each strand is connected at one end to the lower portion of one web and extends diagonally upward to the upper portion of an adjacent web.

The strands and web portions are each rectangular in cross-section and each has one of its edges, as the edge 25, turned uppermost as shown in Figs, 2, 8 and 10 so that it may bite into the soles of the brakemans shoes and prevent slipping on the platform.

'I'he body or tread portion of the platform is adapted to be made by severing a section of the required length from a strip of the reticulated material. Fig. 2, the material is severed adjacent to the web portions on a line at right angles to the longitudinal center line of the platform and transverse to the general direction of the strands. The ends of the platform are protected and reinforced by the end members or bars I8 and I9 which are Welded in position to the severed web portions 22 as shown at 2B in said gure. The Welds are at points both above and below said tread as shown in Fig. 3. The bars I8 and I9 constitute reinforcing members for stiffening said platform; 'I'he tread is made from sheet metal of sufficient thickness, say Tse" for constituting a rigid platform for supporting the brakeman.

A suitable opening 2'I is provided in the tread portionby cutting out the required material adjacent to one edge of the platform through which the brake operating chain or cable 39 is adapted to extend. As shown in Fig. 2, this opening is defined by an annular member 2| which is inserted in the corresponding opening formed in the tread portion of the platform and is Welded Vto the adjacent surfaces of the webs and strands This annular member 2| exas shown at 28. tends both above and below the tread member as shown more clearly in Fig. 3. This member forms a guide for the brake operating cable 30.

Suitable means are provided for attaching the platform to the brackets I3. As shown, attaching bars 29 and 3|, Figs. 2 and 3 are providedY for this purpose. These bars extend transversely to the longitudinal axis of the platform and are Welded to the line of web portions under Which they extend as by means of the Welds 32, see Fig. 3. The attaching bars are provided with openings 33 between adjacent Web portions 22 so that the heads of the bolts II will engage the bars and not extend above the upper surface of the tread portion of the platform.

In Fig. 6 is shown a modified form of bracket. This form of construction is preferable in its use on hopper or other cars having angle or other bars 34 provided with outwardly extending flanges as part of the end construction. The

In the form of construction shown in brackets 35, which may be triangular in form, are adapted to be attached to a ange of the bars 34, as shown in said figure.

The form of the construction shown in Fig. 4 differs from that shown in Fig. 2 in that instead of providing an opening through which the brake operating cable is adapted to extend, a recess 36 extending inwardly from one edge of the platform is provided for this purpose. A bar 3'I having a semi-circular offset 38 and attaching feet 48 is provided and conforms to the recess 36. This bar is Welded in position and may extend from one attaching plate 39 to another attaching plate 4| as shown in Fig. 4. The ends or attaching feet 40 of the plate 31 may be Welded to the ends of the attaching bars 39 and 4| as Well as being welded to the adjacent portions 0f the Webs and strands of the tread portion of the platform as indicated in Fig. 4. In this construction three attaching bars 39, 4I and 42 are provided. The attaching bar 42 may, ,if desired, be utilized for constituting a protecting member for one or both ends of the platform. This bar is in the form of a plate having its outer edge 43 turned up to form an angle which is adapted to be welded to the severed end of the platform as shown in Fig. 5. The supporting bars 39, 4| and 42 are Welded to the lower sur-V face of the platform, preferably along a line of the web portions as shown in Fig. 5. The opposite end of the platform may be protected by a bar 44 which is secured to the end of the tread portion in a manner similar to that described with reference to the protecting bars I8 and I9 in the form of the construction shown in Fig. 2.

The form of the construction shown in Figs. '7 to 10 differs from those described in that the protecting members for the ends of the platform are formed from the strands of the tread portion of the platform. In Figs. 7 and 8, this is accomplished by severing the tread of the platform along a line between the two adjacent Web portions leaving the ends of the strands exposed as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 7 and then bending the free ends of adjacent strands at right angles toward each other so that they will overlap in a plane extending transversely to the longitudinal axis of the tread and nally welding the overlapping portions as shown in Fig. 8. The overlapping strands Will lie parallel with each other extending diagonally across from the bottom surface to the top surface of bthe tread as shown in Fig. 8.

The construction shown in Figs. 9 and 10 differs from that shown in Figs. '7 and 8 in that the strip is severed along a line adjacent to the web portions and each alternate free strand is removed. The remaining strands shown in dotted lines at 48 in Fig. 9 are then bent in the same direction in a plane at right angles to the axis of the platform onto the adjacent web portions and are Welded thereto as at 49 as shown in Fig. 10. Then bent portions are in parallel planes each extending diagonally from the top to the bottom surfaces of the platform, as clearly shown in Fig. 10.

It is thought from the foregoing, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, that the construction of my device will be apparent to those skilled in the art and that changes in size, shape, proportion or details may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. A brake platform comprising a reticulated tread portion having free side edges, said tread portion comprising Webs and strands extending lomgitudinally of the tread, said webs being in rows extending transversely to said tread portion, said tread having its webs severed at each end of the platform along lines transversely to the longitudinal axis of said tread portion through a rovv of said webs, and a metallic reinforcing member engaging the severed portions of said webs and welded thereto to form reinforcing elements for said platform, and attaching plates each extending transversely beneath said platform and beneath a transverse row of said webs inwardly of said reinforcing elements and welded to said webs, each of said plates having openings in the space between said strands and webs for receiving fastening bolts.

2. A brake platform comprising a sheet of reticulated material having Webs and connecting strands, said webs being in rows extending transversely to said sheet, said sheet having free side edges, reinforcement means for each end of said sheet secured in position by welding, one of said side edges having a curved recess therein, said recess being terminated at its innermost portion by a limiting web, a curved member seated in said recess and welded to each of the contiguous webs and strands and tangent at'its inner portion to strands connected to said limiting web at the innermost portion, of said recess and welded thereto, and a plurality of attaching plates extending transversely to said sheet inwardly of the ends thereof and each beneath a row of webs and welded thereto, said attaching plates being at opposite sides of said opening and having openings between adjacent strands for the insertion of attaching bolts between said strands, said strands being distorted to present a sharp edge uppermost to form an anti-slipping surface.

3. A brake platform comprising a length of reticulated metal forming a tread member, said length of reticulated metal consisting of webs and connecting strands, said metal being severed at one end across the strands, certain of said severed strands being bent at right. angles to the longitudinal center line of the platform in the plane of said member and welded in position to form a continuous reinforced edge across said tread member at one end thereof.

4. A brake platform comprising a tread portion of reticulated material composed of webs and strands and having free side edges, the strands extending longitudinally of the platform and the webs being arranged in rows extending transversely to the platform, said tread being so constructed that the strands are severed between two adjacent rows of web portions at one end of said platform, and the adjacent end strands being bent transversely to the platform and lapped past the end of an adjacent strand and welded thereto to form a rigid protection and reinforcement for the ends of the platform.

5. A brake platform comprising a length of reticulated metal strip having webs and strands with one side edge of each turned uppermost to form anti-slipping surfaces, reinforcing members extending across the ends of the platform and welded thereto, attaching plates secured to the underside of said platform and extending transversely thereof, one of said members having an apertured portion for attachment to supports for the platform, other apertured attaching plates welded to the lower surface of said platform, said platform having a semi-circular recess in one edge thereof, a metallic strip having a semi-circular offset engaging in said recess and welded to the contacting portions of said Webs and strands, the ends of said strip extending along the adjacent side edge of said platform being also Welded to adjacent attaching plates at the ends thereof.

HERBERT E. BARTSCH. 

